Refrigerating apparatus.



E. T. WILLIAMS. REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICAHON FILED SEPT. 16, I914.

1,165,926, Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

QXHMM: v anvawm duo M21 E. T. WILLIAMS.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16. 1914.

1,165,926. Iatentd Dec. 28, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD '1. WILLIAMS, OF BROOKLYN,- NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO ARTHUR WILLIAMS,

0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

Application filed September 16, 1914. Serial No. 861,99.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD'T. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerating Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention which forms the subject of the present application for Letters Patent relates to refrigerating machines, particularly machines designed for the use of small consumers, as for example in households;

but it is to be understood that the novel fea turesherein described are by no means limited to the type of machines mentioned.

The chief object of the invention is to improve the machine in point of efficiency, whereby a considerably greater refrigerating effect is produced without material if any increase in cost of construction and in expenditure of power for its operation.

In general the invention operates on the usual principle, the cooling or refrigerating effect being produced by the rapid expansion of a gas or vapor, employing preferably a gas which has a rather high critical temperature and liquefies at moderate pressure. In a paratus intended for household use the c amber into which the compressed gas is expanded usually takes the form of a coil of pipe arranged in a suitable refrigerator. This coil may also surround or be otherwise disposed in suitable proximity to a vessel containing water to be frozen. The refrigcrating medium is preferably the compound known as ethyl chlorid, but of course other media may be used if desired.

In the preferred form of the invention I provide a pair of chambers, or casings, in one of which is a suitable pump, preferably of the rotary type. This chamber may therefore be conveniently termed the pump chamber. This pump has its low pressure side connected with the outlet of the expansion pipe, mentioned above and hereinafter referred to as the expansion chamber. From the high pressure side of the pump the gas drawn from the expansion chamber is discharged under pressure into the other of the two chambers or casings, which may be conveniently termed the compression chamber.

- Here the compressed gas is cooled to liquedisposed in said chamber. The latter chamber also contains a separator by which any lubricant carried by the gas is separated therefrom and returned to the pump. From the compression chamber the liquefied gas is delivered to an expansion valve and there expanded into the expansion chamber, while the cooling medium from the compression chamber is delivered into the pump chamber for the purpose of absorbing and carrying away heat from the pump and other parts therein.

The more important features of the apparatus thus briefly described are first, the insulation of the compression chamber from the pump chamber and the use of a cooling medium in the latterichamber, whereby the heat of compression of the refrigerating medium is more effectually got rid of; and

- second, the effective separation of lubricant from the refrigerating mediu thereby preventing accumulation of In ricant in the expansion chamber and consequent interference with the free transfer of heat through the walls of said chamber to the medium therein. This'effective separation of lubricant from the refrigerating medium also diminishes the amount of attention required by the apparatus since it makes cleaning less frequent, and also secures a not unimportant economy of lubricant.

The embodiment outlined. above is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows the apparatus in vertical section. The expansion valve and the expansionchamben each of which. may be of any suitable type, are indicated diagrammatically. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts inside the compression chamber, with the casing thereof in section. Fig. 3 is a side view of the parts inside the pump chamber, looking from the right of Fig. l, with the casing of the pump chamber in section.

The compression chamber 10 and the pump chamber 11, both cylindrical, are in the present embodiment arranged one above the other and have a common wall 12 serving as the bottom of the first-named chamber and the top of the second, with resultant economy of space and material. The rotary pump 13, inside the pump chamber, has a shaft 14 extending outside for connection with suitable driving means, not shown, and is connected on its low pressure side to the expansion chamber 15 by means of a pipe 15*. From the high pressure side a pipe 16 extends up through the top-wall 12 to the bottom of a lubricant separator 17 in the compression chamber. From the pipe 16 the gas enters a T-pipe 18 arranged vertically in the separator-chamber 17 and is discharged at the top thereof. In this chamber the liquid lubricant, for example glycerin, falls to the bottom and is carried back to the pump bearings by pipes 19, 20, 21, 22, and also by pipes 23, 24, through a sight-feed device 25, to the current of gas in the pipe 15*, by which current lubricant is carried to the inner parts of thepump. The gas discharged from the pump into the separator 17 issues through openings 17 in the top thereof into the compression chamber 10. Heat carried into this chamber by the gas is absorbed by a cooling medium, preferably water, circulating in a coil of pipe 26, the outlet of which extends through the wall 12 at the point 27 into the pump chamber 11 and discharges at the bottom of the latter. In the pump chamber the water, submerging the pump 13, absorbs heat of compression therefrom and is carried away from the chamber by a lateral outlet pipe 28, spaced a suitable distance below the wall 12. This provides a layer of air between the wall 12 and the warm water in the pump chamber, which layer'serves as an efiective heat-insulation between the compression chamber and the pump chamber. The cold water enters the apparatus by way of a pipe 29 which extends through the wall of the pump chamber above the surface of the water therein and up through the wall 12 to the upper part of the compression chamber, where it connects with the inlet end of the lowermost turn of the cooling coil 26. The water delivered to the coil being at suitable temperature, the compressed gas discharged by the pump into the compression chambermay be cooled to or below its condensing temperature and hence may be liquefied. In practice, particularly with such a medium as ethyl chlorid, the liquefied gas may fill the lower part of the chamber. In any case, it will be observed that, since the cold water enters the coil-26 at the bottom and the gas is discharged at the top of the chamber, the gas and the water are both warmest at the top, so that the gas as it cools and passes downward is subjected to progressively decreasing temperature. coldest gas and the coldest water are therefore at the bottom of the compression chamber, with the result that when the gas reaches the outlet pipe 30, discharging laterally through the wall 12, it has substantially its minimum temperature. The pipe 30 delivers the cold and liquefied gas to the expansion valve 31.

It is understood of course, that the pipe The they permit instant removal of the dome or casing 32 .for access to the parts inclosed thereby without interfering with the connections of such parts. Itis also desirable to havethe coil 26 connected to the inlet and outlet pipes thereof at the top of .the chamber 10, as shown, so as to afiord immediate and easy access to such connections when the dome 32 is removed.

It will be observed that the pump or compressor 13 is submerged in the cooling medium in the pump chamber, the submergence in the present instance being accomplished by having the outlet 28 above the pump so that the cooling medium cannot be discharged unless the pump is submerged. The submergence of the pump in the water or other cooling medium used, particularly when the pump is of the rotary type, is an important and valuable feature of the invention, since it insures a practically uniform temperature throughout the pump and thus eliminates distortion of the walls and other parts of the compressing apparatus by expansion and contraction due to unequal temperatures.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular form herein illustrated, but can be embodied in other forms without departure from its proper spirit and scope.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of an upright casing, a transverse partition dividing the casing into an upper compression chamber and a lower pump chamber, a pump arranged in the lower chamber and connected with the upper chamber to deliver a gaseous refrigerating agent under ressure thereinto, means for supplying a liquid cooling medium into the compression chamber to cool the compressed refrigerating agent .and for delivering the cooling medium from the compression chamber into the pump chamber to cool the pump in the latter, and means to discharge the liquid cooling medium from the pump chamher and leave an entrapped body of-air between the surface of the liquid cooling agent and the aforesaid transverse partition.

2. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination with an expansion chamber, and an expansion valve connected therewith: of a pump "chamber; a pump arranged in the pump chamber, and on'its low pressure side connected with the expansion chamber to draw refrigerating medium therefrom; a

compression chamber connected with the pump to receive refrigerating medium therefrom and with the expansion valve to de-.

3. In a refrigerating apparatus, in com bination, a pair of chambers arranged one above the other and having a common dividing wall; a pump in the lower chamber, discharging from its high pressure side into the upper chamber and having its low pres sure side open to the exterior of the lower chamber to receive a refrigerating medium; a cooling coil for a liquidcooling agent, arranged into the upper chamber and, discharging into the lower chamber; an outlet for discharging the cooling agent from the lower chamber, arranged to receive said agent at the point below the aforesaid common dividing wall whereby to leave an airspace below said walland the cooling agent in the lower chamber; and an outlet for discharging the refrigerating medium from the upper chamber.

. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a compression chamber having an outlet for compressed refrigerating medium, and a pump chamber, the two chambers having a common dividing wall; a pump arranged in the pump chamber, discharging from its high pressure side into the compression chamber.'and receiving on its low pressure siderefrigerating medium from outside the pump chamber; a cooling coil for a liquid cooling agent arranged in the compression chamber to absorb heat from the refrigerating medium therein, and discharging the cooling agent into the pump chamber to submerge the pump and absorb heat therefrom; and an outlet for the cooling agent in the pump chamber, having its point of intake spaced from said common dlviding wall to provide an air space between the same and the body of cooling agent in the pump chamber.

5. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a compression chamber having an outlet for a compressed refrigerating medium; a lubricant separator inslde the compression chamber and in open communication therewith; a pump chamber; a pump in the latter chamber, discharging from its high pressure side into the lubricant separator and adapted torecelve refrigerating medium on its low pressure side; and means for carrying lubricant from the separator in the compression chamber to the pump in the pump chamber.

6. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a compression chamber to receive a refrigerating medium under pressure and having an outlet for the compressed medium; a lubricant separator in the compression chamber and in communication at its upper part with said chamber; a pump chamber; a pump in the latter chamber, discharging from its high pressure side into the lubricant separator and adapted to receive a gaseous refrigerating medium on its low pressure side; and piping connected to the lower part, of the lubricant separator to receive lubricant therefrom and deliver the same to the ump.

7. In a ref f'igerating apparatus, in combination, a compression chamber to receive a refrigerating medium, under pressure and having an outlet for the compressed medium; an expansion chamber having an inlet connected with the outlet of the compression chamber; a pump chamber; a pump in the latter chamber, connected on its low pressure side with the expansion chamber to receive gaseous refrigerating medium therefrom; a lubricant separator in the compression chamber, connected with the high pressure side of the pump to receive the refrigerating medium therefrom, and having openings in its upper part for escape of said medium into the compression chamber; and piping connected with the lower part of the lubricant separator to carry lubricant therefrom and deliver the same to the pump and to the current of refrigerating medium entering the pump on the low pressure side thereof.

8. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a pair of chambers composed of separable casings having a common dividing wall, one constituting a compression chamber and the other a pump chamber; a'

pump arranged in the latter chamber, discharging from its high pressure side through said common dividing wall into the compression chamber and receiving refrigerating medium .on its low pressure side from outside both chambers; an outlet conduit for the compression chamber, extending into communication with the same through the pump chamber and the common dividing wall; a coolin coilinthe compression chamber, dischargmg into the pump chamber through the common dividing wall; an outlet pipe for the cooling coil, extending into connection therewith through the pump chamber and ,the common dividing wall; and an outlet for the pump chamber, to discharge therefrom the cooling agent delivered to the chamber by the cooling coil.

9. In a refrigerating apparatus, in com- &

bination, a pair of separable casings arranged one on top of the other and having a common dividing wall, whereby two chambers are provided, one constituting a pump chamber and the other a compression chamber; a pump in the pump chamber, discharging refrigerating medium through the common dividing wall into the compression chamber and refrigerating medium through another wall of the pump chamber; an outlet conduit for the compression chamber, connected therewith through. the common dividing wall; a cooling coil in the compression chamber, discharging a cooling agent through the common dividing wall mto the pump chamber and adapted for connection with a supply of cooling agent through said common dividing Wall; and an outlet for the pump chamber.

10. In a refrigerating apparatus, in combination, a casing forming a pump chamber; a casing removably mountedon the pump chamber and forming a compression chamber, the top wall of the first-named casing constituting a common dividing wall between the two casings or chambers; a pump in the lower chamber, discharging refrigerating medium through the top wall of the pump chamber into the upper chamber and receiving refrigerating medium through another wall of the pump chamber; an outlet for the compression chamber through the top wall of the pump chamber; a cooling coil in the compression chamber, receiving a cooling agent from outside both chambers through the top wall of the pump chamber and discharging cooling agent into the pump chamber through the top wall thereof; and an outlet for the pump chamber, having its point of intake below and ipaced from the top wall of the pump cham- 11. In a refrigerating apparatus, the

combination of a pair of separable casings one mounted on the other with a common dividing wall; means in the lower casing for receiving refrigerating medium at low messes pressure from outside both casings and deupper portion of the cooling coil and discharging into the lower casing through the common dividing wall. 7

12. In a refrigerating apparatus,the combination of a casing having a partition dividing it into a compression chamber and a pump chamber, a pump arranged in the latter and connected with the former to deliver a gaseous refrigerating agent thereinto under pressure, means for passing a liquid cooling medium through the compression chamber and discharging it into the pump chamber, and an outlet for the pump chamber arranged to maintain the surface of the cooling medium therein above the top of the pump whereby the latter is submerged and the heat of compression liberated therein is effectively absorbed.

13. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a casing having a partition. dividing it into a pump chamber and a compression chamber, a pump arranged in the former and discharging into the latter, means for delivering acooling medium into the pump chamber to absorb heat of compression from the pump therein, and means for'maintaining an entrapped body of air between the aforesaid partition and the cooling medium in the pump chamber to insulate the same from the compression chamber.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD 'L'WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

HARRY T. BERNHARD, MA'I'IHEW W. W001). 

